Existing electronic earplugs or other in-the-ear devices can include a microphone for receiving ambient sound to provide to an ear canal. For example, a microphone disposed within a housing of the earplug may receive ambient sound via a microphone inlet in the housing. In windy environments, the microphone of an electronic earplug can pick up noise created by the moving air. As an example, a user of an electronic earplug can have difficulty understanding ambient sounds received at a microphone when outside on a gusty day, in an open moving vehicle, or in a breezy room, among other things. Such wind noise may discourage potential users from wearing the electronic earplug.
Conventional electronic earplugs provide a microphone inlet positioned adjacent to or the same as the housing inlet. The microphone and/or housing inlet may include a thin film meant primarily to protect the microphone from debris; however, these films are ineffective at reducing wind noise. Existing effective windscreens, such as the Electronic Earplug Windscreen disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,232,292 issued to Haapapuro et al. on Jan. 5, 2016, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, are attached to the outside of the probe housing, which may provide an undesirable appearance and can interfere with other devices such as tactical headsets that may be worn over the electronic earplugs.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application.